Independent Institute Senior Vice President Mary L. G. Theroux testified on "Childhood Poverty, Government Failures, and the Need for Economic Liberty", before the California State Senate's Budget Subcommittee on Health and Human Services, at the request of State Senator Jeff Stone. The witnesses spoke about California's Maximum Family Grant rule for families on welfare. The rule caps grants and does not increase grant money to mothers on welfare when they have more children. Mary testified about the causes of poverty and of the need for other, non-government options for poor families. She introduced ideas for helping the poor through private resources and organizations, instead of government agencies where families and women often find themselves trapped in a cycle of poverty.

David J. Theroux, founder and president of The Independent Institute and the C.S. Lewis Society of California, discusses the writings of C.S. Lewis and Lewis's views on individual liberty, natural law and statism.
The presentation was the keynote talk at the first annual conference of Christians for Liberty, that was held at St. Edwards University in Austin, TX, August 2, 2014.

Research Fellow Stephen P. Halbrook, author of Gun Control in the Third Reich, appeared on "The Daily Ledger" show on One America TV News Network. The discussion ranges from Second Amendment rights and concealed weapons permits, to gun registration and ultimately gun confiscation by German officials in the 1930s and 1940s.

Research Fellow Stephen P. Halbrook, author of Gun Control in the Third Reich, was interviewed on the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) about gun registration laws in Germany after World War I. These laws were eventually used by the Nazi party to disarm Jews and others they deemed Enemies of the State. Halbrook, a constitutional lawyer who has argued Second Amendment cases in front of the Supreme Court, says our protections against such actions should be recognized and appreciated while we learn from history.